Larne Lough

Larne Lough by Neal Warnock

A typical view from Glynn Station

I was going to entitle this site
guide Gulls, Goosanders and Gank as that’s what I’ve come to know my home town
for, but that would be highly disparaging and not at all true. Despite being
the butt of many a joke, Larne has a lot to offer the patch birder.This is after all, where I cut my birding
teeth and is home to the one site I watch the most – Sandy Bay.With a lighthouse, gardens, a small beach and
a shiny big harbour, stick this place in Cork and it’d be great!

In the past couple of years, I will
admit to losing a bit of interest in birding around my local sites, as good
birds are few and far between.However,
Larne Lough has plenty to offer throughout the year if you’re prepared to stick
at it.It is perhaps best known for its
breeding tern and gull islands and many of these birds can be picked up loafing
at the mouth of Glynn River, which is another good site within the patch
boundary.The patch has a few birding
secrets up its sleeve which will be revealed during the next year on the blog.To whet your appetite I have already written
about the “Larne Lough gull influx and exodus” on the fabulous Northern Ireland
Black-headed Gull Study blog here.

The patch itself covers 2.8km2
and takes in much of the ID40 square I covered for the recent Bird Atlas,
omitting the north tip of Islandmagee across the lough. From Larne Promenade
and the Town Park in the north, the greater harbour area and the Inver River at
its heart, to Glynn and surrounds in the south, it offers a good range of
habitats and opportunities.During the Atlas
years, I recorded close to 150 species in ID40, so I expect that somewhere
around 120 species for 2014 would be a good target to aim for, but who knows
how it will end up - a case of sink or swim I suspect.

The Patch

A rough day along Larne Promenade

MAIN SITES

Sandy Bay

A 300m stretch of beach and rocky
shoreline and an all important sewage outfall running from Larne Leisure Centre
to the harbour gate at the mouth of the lough, this is the site I will check
most often.It is best known for attracting
rare gulls. I have personally seen 13 species at the site (including
Kumlien’s).It is particularly worth a
look following stormy weather or harsh weather in Britain. It also gets its
fair share of White Wagtails, Wheatears, Common Sandpipers, and Whimbrels etc
during spring passage.

Sandy Bay, Larne

I’ve seen some good birds here
over the years including Bonaparte’s Gull, Kumlien’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Glaucous
Gull, Iceland Gull and Little Gull.When
I found the Bonaparte’s feeding offshore on a fine day in October 2011, a
Pomarine Skua flew in for a quick look. Other scarcities seen here include
Dark-bellied Brent, Long-tailed Duck, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint,
Scandinavian Rock Pipit, Twite and Waxwing.

Situated where Glynn River enters
Larne Lough, this railway halt offers a great view over the north end of Larne
Lough.Though not a major roost site at
high tide, as the tide drops many gulls, waders and wildfowl appear to bathe or
loaf around. The woodland and river here are good for the likes of Spotted
Flycatcher, Grey Wagtail, Dipper and Kingfisher, but the real action is
offshore.Depending on the time of year,
the north section of the lough hosts good numbers of Shelduck, Great Crested
Grebe, Eider and Red-breasted Merganser.Up until recently it was a fairly regular site for Slavonian Grebe in
winter, though they have become very rare nowadays.Rarer species are sometimes encountered at
this site such as white-winged gulls, including Kumlien’s, though I can’t recall
ever seeing anything major here, the best being Green-winged Teal and
Ring-billed Gull.I have seen up to 9
Mediterranean Gulls here in the same flock, which is among the highest site counts
for Northern Ireland and other oddities seen here have included Pink-footed
Goose, Dark-bellied Brent, Carrion Crow, Roseate Tern, Goosander and
Long-tailed Duck. As I write this it’s easy to see why my visits to this site
have declined in recent years – scant reward for considerable effort.

Target species for 2014: Red-necked
or Black-necked Grebe, Smew, King Eider...

The occasional Pink-footed Goose or Dark-bellied Brent turn up here...

Glynn Rugby Club Lagoon

Decent sized semi-tidal lagoon
separated from the lough by a railway line, with a small reedbed and some mixed
woodland.The rugby club pitches and
grounds are also worth a look and occasionally attract roosting/feeding gulls,
terns and waders.This is perhaps the
only site on patch where one might expect to see Sedge Warbler or Reed Bunting.At high tide, the edges of the lagoon and the
railway embankment attract good numbers of roosting waders, with Greenshank in
particular quite common here.This site
is also a major loafing area for gulls, occasionally in very large
numbers.There is also a good stretch of
hawthorn hedge here running along the railway line, with a thin strip of waste
ground which can be excellent for thrushes and finches.I’ve even had Twite here with a large flock
of Linnets.In two past winters I’ve had
Chiffchaffs knocking around the woodland between here and Glynn Station, which
are no doubt worth further scrutiny this year if one should appear.

Needless to say the best birds
I’ve had here include Med, Iceland, Glaucous and Kumlien’s Gulls, but closer
attention may reveal a few surprises.

Target birds for 2014: Green
Sandpiper, Ruff, American Bittern...

A few pairs of Med Gulls breed in the lough and are seen on the rugby pitches from time to time

Inver River mouth

A nice selection of waders and
gulls can usually be seen here, best viewed by pulling onto the hard shoulder
off the Harbour Highway.This is a good
spot to see Med Gulls throughout the year and a small number of wintering
Lesser Black-backs can usually be found. At high tide this becomes a
gathering area for groups of Goldeneye, Eider and Red-breasted Merganser.Following winter storms, this sheltered site
is a good bet for a diver or two and this is another area where Goosanders
regularly occur. Kingfishers are also regularly seen in winter; fishing from
shopping trolleys dumped into the tide by the good folk of Larne.A considerable colony of Black Guillemots
nest in the disused jetties of the old Howden’s coal plant on the far shore
here.

My best birds here include
Glaucous Gull, Jack Snipe and my only patch records of Woodcock and Pochard.
Certainly an area I need to pay more attention to.

Local Parks – there are three
parks lying within the patch boundary, the most productive of which is likely
to be the Town Park and Promenade area not far from Sandy Bay.There is some great looking habitat here and
common summer migrants such as Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap occur
and on occasion some more unusual migrants may appear, although this theory is
almost entirely untested.I doubt it
will rival the likes of Whitburn Coastal Park any time soon! There are also a
few huts here near the north end of the patch which offers the chance of some
seawatching to try to nab a few extra species for the year list.I’m looking forward to seeing what turns up
here.

Larne Railway Station / Redlands
Lagoon – a large man made lagoon in front of the main town railway station,
which can be viewed from the platform (most office staff are used to visiting birders)
or from the south bound hard shoulder of the Harbour Highway.Another good site for loafing gulls,
Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye and home to a small flock of wintering
Lapwing and the best place on patch to see Little Grebe.I have no doubt I’ve missed a few goodies
here over the years through lack of coverage.I can barely recall the days before the Redlands area was developed
(Asda etc), but a read though old NIBA bird reports would make a grown Larne
man cry – it used to be a real migrant trap.A small strip of untainted land does still exist (for how long?) but
access is a problem. The area still attracts decent finch flocks in winter and
there may be an outside chance of a Short-eared Owl here.

River Walks – as well as the
Glynn River area, I have also included the Inver River Walk within the patch,
which I often take a stroll along during the summer months as it’s good for
butterflies and dragonflies as well as Dipper and a wide variety of woodland
species.

Curran Point – an obvious
peninsula stretching out into the lough south of the harbour terminal offering
extensive views over the mouth of the lough.Officially (?) this is Port authority land, but it is often used by
local dog walkers, so I do make the odd visit as there is potential for passerine
finds here.Sightings of Twite,
Brambling and my one and only patch record of Yellowhammer suggest I just might
dig something out, as long as I don’t get arrested first!

Bank Road Escarpment – the road
between Larne and Glynn is overshadowed on one side by an extensive area of
mixed woodland, which has always screamed Wood Warbler to me, so I may venture
in for a look someday.

And that’s about it. I think I’ll
be having my own private patch challenge next year to see if I can record more
species on Rathlin or around Larne. One thing is certain though after writing this glowing guide to the sites of Larne; I will probably struggle to see any
white-winged gulls or Goosanders in 2014...